Ireland was the second country coming up for review of
IGM practices at the 71st session of the UN Committee on the Rights of
the Child (after
France).

StopIGM.org reports live from the hearings in
Geneva on Thursday 14 January 10-13h CET + Thursday 14 January 15-18h CET
(videos now available via treatybodywebcast.org),
including complete Unofficial Transcripts of Intersex
Q&As:

Session 1: Thursday 14 January 2016, 10h

Thu 10:05h: The Session with Q&As on Intersex Genital
Mutilations with the Irish Delegation is open, live
transmission is on!

Thur 10:39h: Committee Member Gehad
Madi, one of the Country Co-Rapporteurs of the Committee for Ireland,
brings up Intersex Genital Mutilations and lack of measures to
ensure physical and mental integrity,
autonomy and self-determination for intersex
children in Ireland! YAY!!

«We are also noting that there are discriminations against intersex
children, including reports of Intersex Genital Mutilation, and the lack of
appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures to insure the right
of intersex children to physical and mental integrity, autonomy and
self-determination.»

Thu
10:45h: Committee Member and Country Co-Rapporteur for Ireland,
José Angel Rodríguez Reyes now asks questions about
intersex and IGM, framing the medical treatment of intersex
children as violence against children, and inquires about
Ireland's position. YAY!!

«I would also like to address the topic of intersex children. I’m
addressing this point under this heading [violence against children] because,
whilst this could be considered from a health standpoint, it would also be
worth considering it from the point of view of violence against such children.
And in particular I would like to know whether you exercise any form of
oversight on the basis of the legislation over publicly operated sector health
facilities with a view to ensuring that there’s a prohibition of irreversible
surgical interventions of non-consensual treatment imposed on intersex
children. In short: are you ensuring, do you have oversight to avoid the use of
such practices? Do you indeed consider that this is a problem that needs to be
addressed?»

«Very good morning to you all. I would like to wish an especially warm
welcome to the Irish Delegation and also my greetings to our chair, Miss
Aldoseri. I would like to ask a follow-up question to Mister Rodriguez’
question about intersex children. So my question is as follows: I would like to
know, if there is a possibility to provide compensation to those children who
have been subject to surgery without their prior and expressed consent. That’s
my question, thank you.»

Thu 12:10h: A member of the Irish delegation says he's
going to answer questions on transgender and intersex, gives answers on
transgender, then says he'll come back to intersex later – how typical is
that?!

Session 2: Thursday 14 January 2016, 15h

«There was a number of matters that were raised in relation to intersex
children so I’d ask my colleague from the department of health to take that
topic, thanks Colm.»

Thu
15:15h: Irish Delegation member Colm Desmond
(Department of Health, Principal Officer Mental Health Unit (!!)), answering on
intersex, went the route of denial, downplaying intersex as
"very, very rare," and claiming in Ireland only medically necessary
treatments were undertaken with the consent of the parents, so the issue of
compensation would not normally arise – totally evading the
actual questions, while at the same time admitting to IGM
still taking place in Ireland – twice!

«Hello. Thank you. A number of issues in relation to the department of
health and forcely in relation to intersex children, were choices made at
birth. These situations highlighted by the committee members are very, very
rare and the decisions taken in relation to choices are very often, I
understand, determined by a physical or renal need rather than a gender
assignment need. It usually is taken by a consultant dealing with that on the
basis of very detailed case management, as would be the normal case with very
sensitive birth or natal conditions, natal situations involving an intersex
case. We would not see that the issue of compensation would normally arise, but
the normal medical negligence provisions around compensation of course apply in
Ireland.»

«The answer is where the issue of intersex situations has been
highlighted, our view is that this is an extremely rare situation that arises,
and where an intervention is needed it may often be for reasons around renal or
physical needs in the case of the individual child. And that decision is
usually taken following very careful consultation between the consultants in
that particular case, and all of the necessary expertise would be brought to
bear on decisions around intersex in case conferences. On that basis we
consider this is a very rare issue but we do acknowledge that these decisions
are taken on a medical basis in these rare cases. In relation to the issue of
compensation we are not aware of a specific compensation process, but normal
medical negligence compensation processes apply in Ireland and it would apply
in any case of an alleged medical negligence.»

«Now, in terms of intersex children I have heard that a consultation may
take place, but I wonder whether that implies consent on the part of the child,
who may, given the circumstances, be subject to an operation. Thank
you.»

Thu
15:46h: This time the Head of the Irish Delegation,
Minister Dr. James Reilly (Children and Youth Affairs, medical
doctor by profession) intervened, reiterated the blanket
denial plus downplaying intersex as "extremely rare" and
claiming interventions would only be done to "sort serious anatomical and
physiological difficulties" – while at the same time openly
admitting to IGM also in Ireland mostly being practiced on
"very young babies" – according to his own personal
"experience":

«If you forgive me to intervene, because my previous job was minister
for health, and I am also a doctor by profession. Can I just say in relation to
intersex: this is very rare, that it’s a clinical decision to intervene, that
consent from parents has to be obtained, that’s very, very clear. I think if
you relate to the consent of the child you’ll obviously have to be talking
about older children. And to my knowledge these operations do not take place
later in life, unless there is some really compelling anatomical functional
issue that has to be addressed. Now, I can stand be corrected on that, but
that’s my experience in practice. And I can absolutely state that these matters
should - don’t occur without the consent of the parents. So, very often we are
talking about very young babies here, very very young children, who have a
serious anatomical, physiological difficulty to be sorted out, and that’s the
basis on which these procedures might be carried out. But I want to emphasis
again, that it’s extremely rare.»

My 2 cents: Yet another flat-out Gov denial – while at the
same time freely admitting that IGM practices still take place – how telling is
that?!
Fortunately, the Committee once more proved to be well-informed, and determined
to get to the bottom of the serious human rights violations against intersex
children. So I'm quite confident that these non-answers will again lead to
particularly strong "Concluding Observations" – for Ireland due on 29 January.
To be continued ...

Intersex Genital Mutilations in
Ireland: CRC NGO Report
HumanRights Violations Of Children With Variations Of Sex
AnatomyIGM – Most Common Forms•What
is Intersex?•How Common are
IGMs?
>>>
Download (PDF 3.60 MB)

"Human Rights For Hermaphrodites Too!"

StopIGM.org is an international human rights NGO of survivors and allies fighting Intersex Genital Mutilations (IGM) in children's clinics, and for the right to physical integrity and self determination for all children born with 'atypical genitalia', or Variations of Sex Anatomy. IGM Practices are a serious human rights violation and MUST STOP.